Speech and Language Therapy

On entrance to College, our therapists conduct in-depth formal assessments to map out your child’s strengths and needs in speech, language and communication. Speech, language and communication needs are often referred to as a ‘hidden disability’ and the in-depth assessment provided by the school enables parents and carers to understand their child’s needs fully, often for the first time.

Each child then receives a combination of the following intervention delivered by a speech and language therapist or a speech and language therapy assistant:

• Individual therapy sessions.
• Paired or small group therapy sessions.
• Class based communication sessions timetabled into the young person’s college week.
• Support and resources within the residential houses and with families.
• Jointly planned and delivered curriculum between therapists and teachers.
• Functional based communication sessions within the local town setting.
• Specialist support such as high-tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices, Signed Supported English and Symbolised resources.

Therapy sessions at our College focus on functional skills and strategies for managing lifelong language disorders. Sessions often present differently to those with younger students who still require targeted intervention, often taking place within the local community or completing functional tasks such as phone calls and appointments. This is to ensure the young people leave as independent as possible.

Every young person at our College receives an annual review report written by their speech and language therapist as well as termly liaison targets set by the team working with them and progress against communication targets. Students will complete re-assessment using standardised assessments when they come to move on from the College to help inform their next decision.

“Pupils flourish at this school due to the strong emphasis on developing their communication skills and the way that they interact with others.”

^{Ofsted 2024}